Financial advisers Laken Gollop (pictured above on the high ropes) and Jamie Norton (pictured below by the water with an oar) are back from their respective five-day professional courses with charity Outward Bound, and here they share their experience as among those given a subsidised placement through insurer Fidelity Life.
Set in Anakiwa in the Marlborough Sounds, the Outward Bound course is designed to create learning outcomes through experiential challenges in the mountains, bush, and water. The solo visit to the bush, for instance, lasted 20 hours.
“It was enlightening,” Tauranga-based Gollop, of Financial Independence, said. “It was fun and challenging. And I learned a little bit about myself while I was alone on the solo course, so it was cool.”
Gollop’s main takeaway centres on how “every person’s personality and role is important” when it comes to teamwork.
Norton, meanwhile, revealed that he participated to see how far he could push himself both physically and mentally.
“It was great to just have some time to ourselves, without any distractions,” he said. “It was awesome to just have that clarity of time to think.”
Dynamics-wise, the RMA Financial adviser was surprised by how quickly he and his co-participants connected as a group.
“Everyone feels like we’ve been mates forever, and it will feel like a family now,” Norton, based in Blenheim, said. “It’s great.”
As for what he learned from the experience, Norton had this to say: “What I really liked about my time at Outward Bound is getting up a bit earlier and sort of making the day – just giving yourself that time to get settled in.”
Fidelity Life distribution head Mel Beattie was happy to see the value advisers get from the course.
“Helping advisers realise their potential and witnessing the growth in their resilience, adaptability, self-awareness, and confidence from just a week away in Anakiwa has been extraordinary,” Beattie said.
“We’ve already received feedback on how these valuable lessons are being incorporated into their lives, and we’re excited to witness the long-lasting impact of this learning journey on the advisers and their businesses.”
Gollop and Norton were two of the five advisers sent on the Outward Bound adventure. They were selected from more than 45 advisers who applied.
